Tag Archives: pharmacognosy

Regardless of the herb and regardless of it’s end use, whether it be a tea, a dye, paper pulp, or any of the nearly endless things you can do with plants, chances are long term storage will be a concern. For the most part you want your herbs to be fresh, pristine and potent as they can be. In this article we’ll be covering tips for kratom storage but though there will be some information specific to kratom leaf powder most of this information will carry over as general rules you can use to keep your foliage as fresh as possible.

Since time immemorial plants have been treasured and revered and used for aesthetic purposes to color the environment through their sight or smell, as medicines and as primary materials for many of the things we use daily. Even today so many pharmaceuticals are in some way sourced from plants or are variants of natural plant extracts that a whole field of science, Pharmacognosy, is dedicated to the study of plant based medicines. Take that into the account that flower shops and flower arrangers, landscapers, perfumiers and more, so not a whole lot has changed in that sense.

One of the simplest and one of the oldest methods of keeping herbs safe is in apothecary bottles or medicine bottles. These are glass bottles with a hermetic seal. Mason jars will work in a pinch in this case, they work on the same principle of creating a barrier to seal out oxygen in order to aid preservation of some plant product’s freshness and potency.

Oxidation is one of the worst enemies of the dried plant product. Honestly, oxidation is a pretty bad enemy of a lot of things. If you ever wondered why “anti-oxidants” are good for you it’s because they can slow or reverse the action of oxygen which has a caustic effect on the body and much more. Consider the fact that rust’s scientific name is iron oxide and you’ll get a bit of a handle on the long term damages oxidation can cause on organic and inorganic materials. A hint about storing herbs long term, don’t use a larger container than you need to because the more space for air there is the more oxygen there is to gradually work on your plant matter. Vacuum sealing is a better method for extra long term storage and oxygen absorbers can also assist in slowing inevitable oxidation.

UV rays and heat are also damaging to dried plants. A good work around for this is using a refrigerator. With kratom and many delicate tea flowers like chamomile, you also want to make sure to keep them from strong odors. Keeping your refrigerator clean and some baking soda to absorb and neutralize foul smells will help here. One of the last concerns is humidity. Humidity can cause plant matter to mold or grow musty and even a humid environment over time can be enough to begin the process.